Visitors and Applesauce

During the third week of October, we had a delightful visit from my father-in-law and one of his former exchange students, Mathias.  Mathias is from Denmark and he was in the States three years ago as a student. This year, he came back to tour all the things he wanted to see and didn't have time to while he was here before. He and Dad H are off on a driving tour of the U.S. Can I just admit right now that I am slightly jealous?  How much fun that sounds!  We were so glad that they stopped here for a few days to say hello. I always love seeing Dad H and it was good to catch up some with Mathias. The girls loved him. Poor guy.  I think he hardly had a moment of peace while he was here. H4 wanted him to hold her constantly and H3 wanted him to explore the backyard with her. Fortunately, Mathias is a very gracious guy with younger siblings, and to my girls' joy, he indulged them quite a bit.

The following weekend, it was time to work on all those apples we'd picked on our camping trip. Do you like to make applesauce?  Or maybe tomato sauce? Or jams and jellies?  If so, I hope you have a Squeezo or something like it! We usually can a minimum of 40 quarts and 15 pints at a time. I would hate to not have this handy gadget through the process. I purchased ours a while back through ebay and I love it!

H3 helped out a lot this time

How does a  Squeezo work for applesauce?  Well, let me share our process.

1. Cut apples into quarters and add them to a pot of boiling water, peel, seeds, core, and all

2. When the apples are soft and tender, dump them into a colander to get the water out.

3. Add all apples and pieces into the top silver bowl of the Squeezo.

4. Crank the handle. Your fresh, ready-to-eat applesauce will pour down the chute and the peel, core, and seeds will go through a different end for you to either toss or process again, if you choose to squeeze a bit more sauce from them.

5. Flavor your applesauce if desired (we put brown sugar and cinnamon in some and others we leave plain).

6. Sometimes, you will need to reheat the applesauce before pouring in the cans, especially if you desire a thicker sauce. In the past few years, we have been able to skip this step.

7. Bathe in a hot water bath for 18-20 minutes.

That's really all there is to it!

~H2

A Snapshot of Our Camping Trip, October 2013

Once again, I'm a lot further behind than I meant to be on posting here.  We've had a packed few months, and it's continuing to chug along quickly.  Here's a few pictures from our family camping trip that we took at the beginning of October.  We go apple picking and camping every year near Crabtree Falls. This year, H3 hiked to the top for the first time.  The distance isn't far, but it is a steep hike!  We were very proud of her.

Blessings!

~H2

H3 Turns Five!

On September 10th, my little H3 turned five years old. Oh my, how she has grown up over the past couple years!  She is a smart little cookie who seems to delight in getting into trouble this first year at school. Her energy and enthusiasm for everything that life holds continue undiminished.  She is all things girlie, loving dress-up, pink and purple, dolls, and Lego Friends.  And at the same time, her favorite activities still include building things with her dad, taking rides on the tractor, banging on the drums (I say banging, because I can't really call it playing yet), and anything that involves tools --hammer, drill, etc. She loves music and dancing, AWANA and movies with popcorn. At all times she gives me a run for my money, so to speak. It takes every bit of energy I can find to try and keep up with her. With H3 in the family, life is never boring. We love our sweet girl!

Working on decorating

She approved of the balloons

Grandma and H3 eating homemade pizza for dinner with Doritos, H3's favorite

The requested cake from Sam's Club. Normally, I make her cakes, but this child has been eye-balling this particular cake for months, and since it was $12, I figured we could swing it. She even made friends (way ahead of time) with the young lady who decorated it for her, and was announcing to all who would listed that Kimmy was making her birthday cake.

Loving the hat from Grandma!

She wore it while she opened every present!

My dear H3, I am so thankful that God has given us the privilege and responsibility of raising you. Please don't forget that God made you to be you. Even now, I see you doing things that make you stand apart from other kids. You choose to not go with the flow, and in many cases, I'm proud of you for that. My biggest prayer is that you will make the most important decision of your life and submit that strong will of yours to Jesus and let Him mold you to be a dynamic powerhouse for His kingdom. Your Daddy and I love you, and He loves you even more. No matter what.

Love, Mommy

Gearing Up and Off We Go!

We spent the last couple weeks of August on the run, trying to get ready for the school year to begin. During the last week before school, I tried to make sure that the kiddos enjoyed plenty of time outside for free play and fresh air.

H3 and I also needed haircuts.  I took H3 to a cute little salon for kids called "Divas N Dudes." Each salon chair has its own tv and kids can either play games or watch a movie. Some chairs are designed like cars. The waiting area had a train table and a little kitchen for munchkins. Best of all, the haircut was still only $16 for such a fancy arrangement!

All pretty!

We started off the first school morning with chocolate chip pancakes.

All ready for school! (That's a black bow on the left bun in her hair.)

I consoled myself with a good cup of tea.

H4 celebrated H3's first day of school with a peanut butter/blueberry jam sandwich.....

along with broccoli and teething on a carrot. I should specify that she had a cute yellow dress on, but I had to take it off her to protect it from the blueberry mess she made.

H1 decorated a yummy cake for my birthday. That would be a whipped peanut butter buttercream frosting.

H3 thought it looked rather tasty. She was right!

Week 1 of school was pretty rough. H3 had some issues adjusting to the rules and structure, as well as the general interaction with other kids her age. Despite that, she said she was enjoying her class and making new friends.  By Friday of last week, things were starting to improve. Today went pretty well too, so I have hope for things to go more smoothly in the future. We shall see!

My parents arrived this past Saturday and are staying through Thursday. We celebrated H3's birthday today and I will post pictures of that soon, hopefully!

~H2

Humidity

I hate humidity. I look like I stuck my finger in an electrical outlet.  Or that I am trying out for a movie, to play a roll as a lion. And that is all I have to say about that.

~H2

Quinoa & Veggie Dish - Gluten Free and Yummy!

Recently I was browsing online, hunting for gluten free recipes, and I came across one that looked like something our family would enjoy. It has certainly become a favorite for H4 and me, and H1 and H3 like it as well (except for H3 picking out the carrots). I have added in chicken, just because our family enjoys it, but you can leave it out for a vegetarian option.

1 cup quinoa (I use the pre-washed stuff)

2 cups of chicken stock or water

16oz bag frozen mixed veggies

1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 and 1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced onion ( or you could cut up a small onion, but I'm a bit lazy)

Salt and pepper to taste

Chicken, pre-cooked and cubed (I use about 1lb, and cook it in a bit of olive oil on the stovetop over low heat with salt, onion powder, and ground thyme)

In a saucepan, bring chicken stock to boil and add quinoa. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until almost all the liquid is gone. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium and add garlic, onion, black beans, and the frozen mixed veggies. Cook about 15 minutes or until veggies are tender, stirring as needed.  Add quinoa and chicken to the skillet and add salt or pepper if needed. I have found with using the chicken stock, we don't need much salt.  Enjoy!

~H2

Changes For H3

When I started blogging again after a break this summer, I mentioned that there would be some changes coming up, and this is that post I promised.

This past winter, my husband approached me about H3's schooling. She's learned so much over the last year and is well above most 4-year-olds, academically. Her photographic memory makes it easy for her to learn and she absolutely loves school.  To say that she is a challenge is an understatement. With her love for learning comes an interesting social dynamic that we have had great difficulty learning how to work with.  Her personality as an extrovert is very different than my own, and she is high energy to boot (most in the health profession have commented on her above-average activity level and questioned a possible diagnosis of hyperactive, though I maintain that she is just a happy and bouncy child).  There is no question that homeschooling has been good for her and is something we plan to pursue in the future. 

That being said, H1 asked me to consider sending H3 into school for one year to see if some of her social difficulties would work themselves out. He felt that it would be best for her to experience a year in the school system. Most places we wouldn't consider it, but she would be in the school across the street from where he teaches, be taken to and from school by her parents, and this is a school system that still prays. Not kidding. They pray before sports games and faculty meetings, and often don't give homework on Wednesday nights because they know that the kids go to church. It's an unusual system, and I'm thankful for it! The first year my husband taught there, he was getting ready to start his first middle school basketball practice, and one of the kids spoke up, "Hey coach, aren't we going to pray?"

Anyways, after a lot of prayer and consideration, and asking counsel from close friends and family, we have decided to apply for H3 to attend school for one year. At this point, we intend to pull her out and resume homeschooling after this year. This year will also give me the opportunity to work with H4 a bit. She hasn't developed very far in making sounds, most likely because her older sister does all the talking for her! H4 is highly inquisitive and I plan on doing a form of Tot School with her this year.

School will begin for H3 on September 3rd. Since she has already passed all the information for kindergarten and is well into first grade at home, she will most likely be a bit bored in the kindergarten classroom into which she is being placed. I have purchase material to teach her outside of the regular school day. Since she will be spending her days in the classroom, my methods will be a bit more unorthodox, and I will try to document those as best as possible in case there are those who are looking for ideas on educating active children.

As we begin to navigate new waters, we would covet prayers for wisdom. I am still feeling anxious about sending my child out, but I know God is even more interested in her development than I am.

~H2